Hood catch



R. G. MOORE Oct. 8, 1935.

HOOD CATCH Filed April 9, 1954 INVENTOR. .RHYMDND ELMDE'JREL;

A TTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 8, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE noon CATCH Application April 9, 1934, Serial No. 719,710

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to hood catches for securing the hoods of automobiles, and has for an object to provide a hood catch which will effectually hold the hood downwardly and inward- 1y against looseness and rattling. Another-object is to provide a hood catch in which the handle means will be exteriorly disposed and in which the hooking means will be interiorly disposed, and in which the parts will be arranged in a gener- 1 ally horizontal direction out of relation with the sill, thus providing a catch which may be easily and positively operated, and which .at the same time will present a neat and inconspicuous appearance free from unsightly mechanism, and

which lends itself to streamline design harmonizing with other parts of the automobile structure.

A further object is to provide a catch in which the spring means will be so arranged that the manual pressure required to tension it in engaging and disengaging the catch will be relatively light and at the same time the pressure of the spring is arranged to be directly applied to the catch contiguous to and substantially in line with the keeper so that a more positive holding action is obtained than is the case where the pressure is applied from a remotely disposed spring through intermediate parts. Another object is to provide a coil spring having its center fixed and which is tensioned through pressure applied to an extension of its outer convolution, to the end that the chance of spring breakage through excessive tensioning is minimized.

A still further object is to provide a hood catch which will utilize the springiness or inherent resiliency of the metal of the hood side to exert inward holding pressure.

With the above and other objects in view embodiments of my invention are shown in the accompanying drawing and these embodiments will be hereinafter more fully described with reference thereto and the invention will be finally pointed out in the claims.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one corner of an automobile hood and the adjoining cowl and sill structure, and showing the hood catch, according to an exemplary illustrated embodiment of my invention, attached thereto.

50 Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view, taken along the line 22 of Fig. 1, and showing the catch in top plan.

Fig, 3 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 33 of Fig. 1, and showing the catch in 55 end elevation.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is an inside elevation of the corner of the hood showing the catch in inoperative position.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic horizontal sectional view of the hood, partially broken away, and the adjacent structure of the radiator and cowl, and

showing somewhat exaggerated the flexing of the hood in the operative position of the catches. 10

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing a modified form of catch, according to the invention.

Fig. 8 is a'vertical sectional view, taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Similar reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawing.

Referring to the drawing, the hood I0 is adapted to close against the inset marginal edge por- 0 tions l l-l I of the radiator frame and cowl structures l2l2, and at each end of the hood, and adapted to cooperate with keepers provided on the radiator frame and cowl structures, hood catches, according to the illustrated embodiment 25 of the invention, are-mounted.

The hood catch comprises a mounting plate I3 in the form of an elongated stripof sheet metal to which is' secured adjacent one end a bracket member l4 having right' angularly bent foot por- 30 tions l5l5 secured to the plate l3 by means of staked lugs I6 '-l6, these lugs being struck from the plate 13 and engaged in holes punched in the foot portions l5-l5.

The end of the plate l3, which in the mounted 35 position on the hood extends toward the end of the hood, is inwardlyoifset, as at H, and a coil spring i8 is secured thereon by means of a clip I 9. A hearing opening 2!] is provided in the plate l3 and has an outwardly turned bearing flange 40 which engages within an opening 2| in the hood, the edge of the flange projecting slightly beyond the outer surface of the hood. A bearing opening 22 is also provided in the bracket member [4 in axial alignment with the opening 20. The 45 plate 13, together with the bracket member [4 and spring 18, is secured to the interior of the hood by means of rivets 23 extended through apertures in the foot portions l5-l5, the plate l3 and the hood. It will be noted that the spring mounting portion I1 is unsecured with respect to the hood, so that the section of the hood between the rivets 23 and the end of the hood is free to flex in the operative position of the catch, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

The catch and handle lever member 24 is provided at one end with a flange 25 and a shaft extension. 26, the latter having bearing in the bearing openings 20 and 22 and the flange 25 abutting the end of the flange of the opening 28, a cotter pin 21 being engaged through a hole 28 provided in the shaft extension adjacent the inner side of the plate I3 and retaining the, lever member in assembled relation.

The outer end of the lever member is bent inwardly, as at 29, and is extended through a slot 39 in the hood to the inner side where it is provided at its end with an upwardly extending lug portion 3! and in its upper surface adjacent said lug portion with a keeper engaging notch 32. A notch 33 is provided at its under surface in which is engaged the curved end of the spring !8.

While any suitable type of keeper may be provided, I have shown the same as an integrally formed part of the inset abutment flange II. For this purpose a pocket or recess 34 is pressed into the flange and is provided with an aperture 35, through which the lug 3| may be engaged, the metal at the upper edge of the aperture being curled, as at 36, to provide a rounded catch engaging keeper surface which engages in the notch 32 in the engaged position of the catch. The ends of the slot 30 limit the swing of the lever member 24, the latter occupying an intermediate position when hooked with the keeper.

In operation the hood is drawn downwardly by downward pressure on the lever members 24 at each end of the hood, the abutment of the portions 29 of the lever members with the lower ends of the slots 3!! causing the downward pressure of the lever members to be firmly transmitted to the hood, so that it can be effectually pulled down to its full limit with facility. When fully pulled down the hood is pressed inwardly engaging the lugs 3| through the apertures 35 and upon release of the lever members they spring upwardly under the pressure of the springs is engaging the lugs behind the keepers, so that the latter engage the notches 32, thus retaining the hood closed and exerting downward pressure thereon.

The fit of the shaft extensions 26 in the hearing openings 29 and 2| is relatively snug and the relation of the keepers to the plane of the hood is such that the lever members must be forcibly pressed inwardly to engage the lugs 31 therewith. The ends of the hood being supported against the radiator and cowl abutments H-l I, the inward pressure of the lever members, through the transversely rigid support of the shaft extensions 26 in their bearings, causes the hood to be slightly sprung or warped, as indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 6, being held in this position by the inherent springiness of the sheet metal of the hood and exerting such pressure upon the hood that the hood ends are firmly pressed inwardly against the abutments ll-l I.

To disengage the catch from its keeper the lever member is simply pressed downwardly and the hood swung outwardly, the spring 18 moving the lever member to its inoperative position at the upper end of the slots 30, as shown in Fig. 5.

In Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a modification in which the lever member 24 is provided at its keeper engaging end with a portion 31 extending through the slot 30 in the hood and engaged at its under side by the spring l8, anda right-angularly bent portion 38 disposed in parallel relation with the hood and adapted to engage a keeper 39 in the form of a downwardly disposed hook An opening 4!] formed in the abutment portion 5 5 permits the end 38 of the 5 lever member to pass into and out of engagement with the keeper as the hood is closed and opened. ,The other parts of the catch are the same as in the first embodiment and the operation is substantially the same.

I have illustrated and described preferred and satisfactory embodiments of the invention, but it will be obvious that changes may be made therein, within the spirit and scope thereof, as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Automobile hood fastening means for engaging a keeper disposed upon a fixed part in relation to the end of the hood, the hood in its closed position being limited in its downward movement by engagement with a fixed part, comprising a mounting fixture adapted to be secured interiorly to the hood, a catchlever carried by said mounting fixture comprising a finger gripping portion exteriorly of. the hood, a keeper engaging portion at one end of said finger gripping portion extending from the exterior to the interior of the hood transversely to the plane of the hood, and a mounting shaft at the other end having bearing in said mounting fixture, the axis of said shaft being transversely of the plane of the hood, spring means carried by said mounting fixture engaging the under side of said keeper engaging portion interiorly of the hood and exerting upward pressure on said keeper engaging portion, said catch means adapted to be depressed in closing the hood and to spring upwardly to engage said keeper under the pressure of said spring means, the effective spring movement of said catch lever 40 being from a point below its point of engagement with the keeper to a point above said point of engagement, said catch means adapted to be depressed in closing the hood to pull the hood downwardly against said fixed part and to move upwardly to engage said keeper whereby a continuous downward pressure is exerted on the hood.

2. Automobile hood fastening means for engaging a keeper disposed upon a fixed part in relation to the end of the hood, the hood in its closed position being limited by engagement with a fixed part, said hood having an opening in contiguous relation to its end, comprising a mounting fixture adapted to be secured interiorly to the hood, a catch lever carried by said mount- 5 ing fixture comprising a finger gripping portion exteriorly of the hood, a keeper engaging portion at one end including a portion extending through said opening substantially transversely to the plane of the hood to the interior of said hood, and a mounting shaft at the other end having bearing in said mounting fixture, the axis of said shaft being transversely to the plane of the hood, spring means disposed interiorly of said hood engaging the underside of said transversely extending portion of said keeper engaging portion interiorly of the hood and exerting upward pressure thereon, said catch lever being limited in its swinging movement by engagement of said transservely extending portion of said keeper engaging portion with the ends of said opening, said catch means adapted to be depressed in closing the hood and to spring upwardly to engage said keeper under the pressure of said spring means, the eifective spring movement of said catch lever being from a point below its point of engagement with the keeper to a point above said point of engagement, said catch means adapted to be depressed in closing the hood to pull the hood downwardly against said fixed part and to move upwardly to engage said keeper whereby a continuous downward pressure is exerted on the hood.

3. Automobile hood fastening means for engaging a keeper disposed upon a fixed part in relation to the end of the hood, the hood in its closed position being limited in its inward movement by engagement of its end portions with a fixed part, comprising a mounting fixture adapted to be mounted upon the hood at one end in longitudinally spaced relation to the point 01' engagement of said hood with said fixed part, and said hood being inherently resilient, a catch lever comprising a mounting portion rotatably supported by said mounting fixture for rotation about an axis normally perpendicular to the hood surface and substantially rigidly supported thereby with respect to said axis, an exterior finger gripping portion, and a keeper engaging portion carried by said finger gripping portion, a spring carried by said mounting fixture engaging the swinging end of said catch lever and adapted to press said catch lever upwardly into engagement with said keeper, said catch means being movable in generally parallel relation to the normal plane of the hood, and said engaging portion being normally transversely outwardly of its keeper engaging position, and being further movable by inward pressure in a transverse direction to the normal plane of the hood to engage said keeper, the engagement of said catch with said keeper adapted through said rigid support of said mounting fixture to warp the hood between its ends, whereby the inherent resiliency of the hood sets up pressure to press its end inwardly against said fixed part.

RAYMOND G. MOORE. 

